Tuesday, August 11, 2009

FEDOROV: KHL BETTER THAN NHL IN MONEY TERMS

The legendary forward, who returned to Russia after 20 years in NHL, Sergei Fedorov visited the Sport Express office yesterday.

"Moscow remains as it used to be," said the 39-year old former player of Washington. "Everything is still beautiful and majestic."

"I have not tried the famous Moscow traffic jams yet, but probably because I arrived on Sunday. In principle after departure to the US I visited Moscow for many times, but one thing to come for a couple of weeks and quite another to return for permanent place of residence."

"Such a returning is always exciting. And I am thankful to the management of Metallurg Magnitogorsk in particular to the president of the club Viktor Rashnikov and general director Gennady Velichkin for an opportunity to play with me brother."

"The reason for my coming back to Russia is probably the recession in demand for aged players in NHL. Most important for NHL clubs now is to sign young players for the future and with aged ones they handle after all the others."

"At some moment I understood that I was not the main goal for the club management. And because the season in KHL starts six weeks earlier than in NHL I must have made a decision and I made it."

"But at the same time I closely communicated with the Washington management and they knew about my every step."

"What concerns Metallurg I got there because of my father’s help for he has good relations to Velichkin. We reached an agreement quite easily. I am thankful to my agent for he managed to settle all the formalities in two weeks."

"Immediately after the end of the season Ovechkin and Semin started asking what I was going to do and I did not know the state of affairs then. In Washington they offered different contract sums."

"I think it will be interesting to recall the old days and play on Russian arenas. You know, in NHL not everything is comfortable. Especially on the ice."

"So every comparison is disputable. In NHL not all arenas are comfy – every player I assure you like some arenas and don’t like others."

"About the problems between NHL and KHL I think that business is successful when both sides set their conditions. And when both partners are ready for compromises. Probably at the moment there is no such equilibrium in the world ice hockey."

"It is easy to understand that it is not a good situation when such players as Malkin and Ovechkin go to NHL for free but on the other hand in my time I left the Soviet Union also for free. So I am not the one to judge the situation."

"I have been in Russia for only a day and a half so I am not ready to suggest any global ideas about the peace. I think that at first they should meet and disclose the problematic points."

"For both Leagues need the agreement and I think that NHL needs it even more for they start seeing competition from the Russian League."

"And I am not exaggerating saying that there is competition. For example in financial matters the Kontinental League got ahead a lot while NHL is still pure business where you must combat for a single spectator and this combat proceeds with mixed success."

"Moreover in the USA there is a new president and that almost surely means new tougher taxes. As a result the situation in NHL becomes more and more difficult."

"Reasoning objectively I think I will be able to play on a high level for two more years. I hope to stay uninjured. What will be next we will see. I never liked to propose and don’t want to do it now."

"I had no time to think about my last match in NHL while preparing for Russia. But after our last match in the play-off series I understood that it is all over for me in NHL."